Kemi Badenoch has issued a stark warning over Britain’s military readiness, demanding that Andy Burnham’s government deliver the country’s “biggest peacetime programme of rearmament” as global threats intensify.
Speaking at the Farnborough International Airshow, the Conservative leader said the world had entered a more dangerous era and warned that Britain could no longer rely on diplomatic statements alone to deter hostile states.
Mrs Badenoch called on Chancellor John Healey to “find the funding” needed to raise defence spending to 3 per cent of GDP by the end of the current Parliament, arguing that years of underinvestment had left the armed forces dangerously stretched.
“Enemies are not deterred by our words,” she said. “They will only be deterred by ships in the water, jets in the air, munitions in stock, state-of-the-art technologies, and allies who know that Britain will answer their call.”
Her intervention piles pressure on Mr Burnham’s new administration just days after its formation, with defence expected to become one of the government’s biggest tests as it attempts to balance ambitious domestic spending plans with growing military commitments.
Mrs Badenoch warned against what she described as “unfunded spending giveaways or tax cuts without a plan to pay for them”, arguing that national security should take priority over politically attractive promises.
She also renewed her offer to work with the Prime Minister on reducing welfare spending, saying she would support measures to cut the benefits bill if the government showed financial discipline.
The Conservative leader accused successive governments of allowing Britain’s defence capabilities to “atrophy”, claiming the country had drifted into becoming a “commentator on world events” rather than a power capable of shaping them.
The criticism comes after John Healey’s dramatic move from Defence Secretary to Chancellor. Mr Healey resigned from the defence brief after a funding dispute with the Treasury, claiming military chiefs had identified a £28 billion shortfall in the government’s defence investment plans.
Now running the Treasury, Mr Healey faces the challenge of funding those commitments while also supporting Mr Burnham’s wider economic agenda.
Defence minister Luke Pollard attempted to reassure industry leaders at Farnborough, insisting the government’s defence investment plan was backed by a £298 billion commitment over the next four years.
He said the plan would transform Britain’s armed forces and provide a long-term signal to defence companies and investors.
But the political battle over defence spending is only beginning.
With Russia’s war in Ukraine continuing, NATO allies increasing pressure for greater military investment and threats spreading beyond Europe, the question facing Downing Street is no longer whether Britain needs to spend more on defence — but whether it can afford not to.
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